I woke up this morning thinking…” Take me back to the Marana Holiday Festival and Christmas Tree Lighting!” This December, I’d like to keep the magic of the season alive by residing in the giant snow globe, one of the event’s dozens of attractions. However, I have a hunch the giant snow globe is unavailable to Air BnB, but the good news is you can experience the epic tree lighting all month long at the Marana Civic Center (Details below.) In the meantime I will do my best to recount this time-honored tradition’s pure enchantment.
Let’s start with the Christmas tree itself, which is located at Marana’s Civic Center. The 45-foot beacon earned the bragging rights of being the tallest municipal tree in all of Arizona. (Get it, Marana!) At approximately 6 PM, Marana’s Mayor, Ed Honea, led thousands of merrymakers in the tree-lighting countdown. 3-2-1! The giant evergreen erupted into a cascade of choreographed light-giving entertainment. Jingle Bell Rock boomed from the speakers. I glided around the tree and discovered people dancing, laughing, hugging, and sipping cocoa.
While the tree was undoubtedly the epicenter of the dazzling holiday display, there were many other avenues to enjoy some festive family fun, which was free (of cost) for all to enjoy!
Thousands of merrymakers clad in ugly holiday sweaters, jolly jammies, reindeer ears, and shark onesies (one of my personal favorites) spent the day shopping locally at the Mistletoe market, bouncing in the inflatable village, making music at the instrument petting zoo, creating crafts, and writing letters to the man in the big red suit. Santa and Mrs. Claus were also on-site for family photo ops. Meanwhile, community performances from two concert stages could be seen and heard all day!
I started my journey in mini Who-Ville and was greeted by the infamous Mr. Grinch! After snapping some photos, I headed to the towering Christmas tree, where I caught up with country radio station KIIM FM’s Buzz Jackson. Buzz has been the event’s emcee for the past decade.
I asked Buzz why he kept coming back.
“The food, the music, the entertainment, the camaraderie. I see people I know here everywhere, and it’s just a great community event,” said Jackson.
The food was also a main attraction. 30 food trucks lined the streets featuring tacos, German eats, Boba Tea, pizza, decadent desserts, and anything beyond your wildest cravings.
After running like Rudolph for a few hours, I worked up quite an appetite. My husband and I went through the maze of food trucks with our pups (Holly and Blaze). We wrapped up our evening with some yummy hot chocolates at Coffee Cure. Then followed our growling stomachs to Friesy (my new obsession). I indulged in a container of Arizona fries (have you heard of these things?!) piled high with chicken, cheese, onion rings, and Arizona sauce… (I bet you can’t find Arizona fries at the North Pole!)
If you’re looking for a festive (free) way to spend an evening this December, head to the Marana Civic Center. They will be hosting the Christmas tree light show every night from
5PM – 9PM (every half-hour). You will probably run into me there!
